science

• Biodiversity


  Coined from the words, biological diversity
• Levels of Biodiversity


  • Species diversity
  • Genetic diversity
  • Ecosystem diversity
• Species

  A group of organisms that consist of similar individuals capable of interbreeding or exchanging genes among themselves
• In biology, species is the most basic unit of classification, as well as a taxonomic rank
• The next taxonomic rank on the hierarchy of biological classification is a genus
• On earth, there are currently 8.7 million species living today, however, that number is just a fraction of all organisms that have ever lived
• Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus


  A Swedish botanist/physician who adopted a system of classifying and naming
• Linnaeus attempted to describe the entire known natural world and gave every species a two-part name
• Linnaeus modified a system of naming that was used in various forms about two hundred years before his time
• Binomial nomenclature


  A two name system for writing scientific names
• Binomial nomenclature


  • Genus name - written first and always capitalized
  • Species name - written second and never capitalized
  • Both words are to be italicized if typed, or underlined if hand written
• Three Domain System


  The domain is the largest category into which organisms have been classified
• Domains


  • Archaea
  • Bacteria
  • Eukarya
• Levels of Classification (Taxa)

  • Kingdom
  • Phylum
  • Class
  • Order
  • Family
  • Genus
  • Species
• As one goes from the Kingdom to the Species (DOWNWARD), an increase in the similarity between organisms occur
• Categories Within Kingdoms

  Human Classification

  Classification Hierarchy of Organisms
• Biodiversity

  Biological diversity or biotic diversity, referring to the idea of living variation, from genes and traits, to species, and to ecosystems
• Low Biodiversity

  • Few prominent species and a low number of other species within the habitat
• High Biodiversity

  • A habitat or ecosystem that has a high number of different species
• Ecosystem

  The structural and functional unit of ecology where the living organisms interact with each other and the surrounding environment
• The ecosystem is a chain of interactions between organisms and their environment
• The term "ecosystem" was first coined by A.G.Tansley, an English botanist, in 1935
• Types of Ecosystems

  • Terrestrial Ecosystems
  • Aquatic Ecosystems
• Advantages of High Biodiversity

  • Greater stability, more varieties of foods and medicines
• More than 1,000 species are endangered worldwide today
• Animal extinction

  Occurs when there are no more individuals of that species alive in the wild anywhere in the world
• Levels of endangerment

  • Critically endangered
  • Endangered
  • Vulnerable
• Endangered Species in the Philippines

  • Philippine Eagle
  • Philippine Freshwater Crocodile
  • Tamaraw
  • Walden's Hornbill
  • Visayan Warty Pig
  • Philippine Cockatoo
  • Negros Bleeding Heart
  • Philippine naked-backed fruit bat
  • Hawkbill sea turtle
  • Philippine forest turtle
• Loss of endangered species leads to ecosystem instability and loss of valuable natural resources
• Species have the right to survive
• Plants and animals maintain the health of an ecosystem, so when a species becomes endangered it's a sign that an ecosystem is out of balance
• What should be done to protect endangered species

  1. Pollution control

  2. Reduce use/recycle natural resources

  3. Ban or restrict activities that cause harm to nature
• Endangered Species Act (ESA)

  The primary law in the United States for protecting imperiled species, passed in 1973
• World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)

  An international non-governmental organization that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment